Nuclear forensics information obtained from the γ-ray spectra of 252Cf sources of differing provenance

The gamma-ray spectra from nine ²⁵²Cf sources of different provenance were obtained using a high purity germanium detector. The information contained in the gamma-ray spectra was extracted and summarized, focusing on the information that would be important for a nuclear forensics investigation, in particular the nuclide activities and the date since the last chemical purification. A trace amount of ¹⁵⁴Eu was unambiguously identified from the gamma-ray spectra of three of the ²⁵²Cf sources, whilst the other six ²⁵²Cf sources do not contain any ¹⁵⁴Eu at all. The origin of the ¹⁵⁴Eu is discussed, along with its possible relevance for future nuclear forensics investigations involving ²⁵²Cf sources.